Aside from the loan and other financial components contained in the pending federal CARES Act, a number of states and cities are also looking to create and fund business loan programs to help get the economy back on track. Toward that end, 10 days ago the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program was launched…
Read More »Legislators and environmental activists across the nation continue to target single-use plastic bags, straws and other plastic products for elimination as the new legislative sessions begin. Massachusetts will most assuredly advance a plastic bag ban, although 135 communities already have a local ban of some sort on their books. The state senate approved a sweeping…
Read More »From those who gave us the $15 minimum wage and dramatic expansion of paid sick leave and other employee benefit mandates across much of the country, they’re establishing a new priority moving forward – Fair Workweek laws. The Fight for $15 and its associated labor groups have seemingly shifted gears and are now organizing in…
Read More »Delayed from earlier in the summer, employer obligations under the new Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Law (PFML) will begin in a few weeks on October 1, 2019, when covered employers are required to begin contributions to fund the program. The PFML provides temporary income replacement to eligible workers who welcome a new child…
Read More »In the catalogue of government overreach, or nanny-state actions of late, we’d hasten to submit Oregon at the state level and old favorite San Francisco in the local community category. Just a few weeks ago, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed into law Senate bill 1019, which provides that beginning in the year 2024, all eggs…
Read More »The California state senate is closing in on final consideration of AB-5, which will codify the Dynamex decision of the California Supreme Court. That decision, rendered in early 2018, established the “ABC Test” for determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor as opposed to the historically-accepted Economic Realities Test. Whereas the…
Read More »Earlier this week, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and state legislators agreed to delay the implementation of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Program until October 1, 2019. The program, which was an integral part of the so-called Grand Bargain – a misnomer if ever there was one, was to be funded with a 0.63% payroll…
Read More »The Massachusetts state legislature, not a group that is shy about new taxes and meeting in Constitutional Convention on Wednesday, gave initial approval to a proposed constitutional amendment that would impose an additional 4% tax surcharge on all Massachusetts residents with annual income in excess of $1 million. The 147-48 vote advances the question to…
Read More »Often throughout the year, we advise our subscribers of different laws or regulations that will be taking effect at a future date, either near term of a few months later. We’re going to add “Approaching Deadlines: An Eye on the Calendar” to SRNS periodically to ensure that you are aware of those changes that will…
Read More »The Massachusetts legislature, meeting in Constitutional Convention (ConCon) this week gave procedural approval to placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2022. The proposal would amend the state constitution by allowing for classes of taxpayers to be taxed at different levels – more specifically, imposing an additional 4% surcharge on incomes exceeding $1 million.…
Read More »
